Cartoon continuity
The cartoon continuity is one of the three main Monster High continuities, told through the weekly-to-biweekly webisodes and occasional TV specials that make up the ''Monster High'' cartoon series. The cartoon continuity lightly overlaps with the diary continuity, in that most storyline events are either confirmed to happen in both or implied to happen in both. However, those events do not occur in exactly the same way or in exactly the same order between the continuities, which causes them to be separate continuities. The webisodes are divided in volumes, and the cartoon continuity's storytelling angle differs per volume. Volume 1 focusses on elaborating on the main cast, though does so haphazardly with no consideration for order or plot. A few webisodes and character traits tie into each other, but coherency is not Volume 1's forte. Instead, it opts for a gag-per-webisode format and utilizes characters as the joke needs. Volume 1 also sees the gradual introduction of a few characters, but none of them get more than at most three near-inconsequential appearances. Volume 2, in contrast, is story-heavy, with an ongoing plot focussed on the failures and successes of the Fear Squad. Some webisodes do end on a gag, but most on a cliffhanger or a feel-good-feel. Time plays a role in Volume 2, with summer vacation occurring half-way through. More characters are elaborated on, and new ones are introduced mostly in plot-related ways. Volume 3 blends the properties of Volume 1 and Volume 2, returning to the gag-per-webisode format but being far more consistent in character portrayal than Volume 1. Volume 3 also brings back several character traits that Volume 2 ignores while maintaining Volume 2's character development. The way new characters are introduced depends on the character - some lean towards Volume 1 treatment, some to Volume 2 treatment. The TV specials flow along with the Volume they belong to. The Volume 1 special is an alternative telling of the Volume 1 webisodes, or at least its first half. The Volume 2 special is continuity-heavy and firmly takes place at the end of Volume 2. The four Volume 3 specials match the Volume 3 webisodes in continuity, but it's difficult to say when they occur relative to them. Also, no Volume 3 special-originated character has appeared in the webisodes thus far. Continuity Years and dates are rarely mentioned in the cartoon series. Therefore, a timeline is at best estimated based on the assumption that Volume 1 and Volume 3 webisodes occur in the order they aired in unless proven otherwise and the assumption that the Monster High schoolyears have the same setup as real-life schoolyears. A noteworthy 'but' in understanding the cartoon continuity is that there are at least three Volume 1 continuities in existence. They are best explained by looking at the roster of the Fear Squad. In the webisodes, Lagoona and Draculaura are members of the team, or at least enough to talk of the team as "we" and decide that Frankie gets to be fearleader. Frankie joins the team by accidentally performing several impressive moves while chasing her hand. In the TV special, Draculaura and Clawdeen are members of the team. Frankie joins by showing she can remember a routine and not being afraid to try, though she ends up on probation after hurting Cleo's feelings. Volume 2 does not favor either of these continuities and continues on a hypothetical continuity in which Frankie is member-on-probation, none of her friends are or have been fearleaders, and Toralei, Meowlody, and Purrsephone have always been on the team. That said, the Volume 1 special may only be an alternative to the first half of Volume 1, meaning an alternative to the webisodes "Jaundice Brothers" up to "Totally Busted". The rest of the Volume 1 webisodes could follow from the TV special. The Kind Campaign webisode "Kind: The Shockumentary" is assumed to be part of the cartoon continuity. If so, despite being released during Volume 2, the presence of a werewolf introduced in the Volume 2 special places the cartoon continuity-wise in Volume 3. The exclusive doll-related webisodes "Zom-Beach Party" and "Fashion Emergency" are marked as part of Volume 3, but make more sense to take place during Volume 2 and perhaps even Volume 1. Continuity errors The cartoon continuity changes angles and content often with little explanation, perhaps as a result of having to work a story into just a few minutes. Regardless, this has made the cartoon continuity one of the least coherent. *Frankie Stein's age in "Jaundice Brothers" was fifteen days. She became sixteen days old in "Party Planners", and said her age was sixteen days old in "Shock and Awesome". These are respectively webisode 1, 5, and 18, and few webisodes could take place on the same day. Nor is it likely that "Party Planners" and "Shock and Awesome" are to be placed right after (the first half of) "Jaundice Brothers". By Volume 2, Frankie's age stops being brought up in detail. However, her age still occasionally brings up disconnect, such as how Halloween in "Ghouls Rule" is Frankie's first halloween despite at least a year having passed since her creation. Volume 1 Webisodes TV special Pre-Volume 2 Volume 2 Volume 3 Category:Continuities Category:Cartoon